Getting to the festival

The festival is held in the Civic Precinct, which is close to bus links and the bustling Honeysuckle and Darby Street eatery strips.

Please note, the rail line terminates at the Newcastle Interchange at Wickham and the free 110 bus will take you to the festival site. For updates about track work and for timetable information see sydneytrains.info.

You are encouraged to leave your car at home but if you do drive, we recommend all-day parking at the Civic West Parking station on Gibson Street, which is offering a special rate of $6.50. For more details see huntercarparks.com.au or wilsonparking.com.au

The inner-city is in the midst of significant construction work and as a result there are road closures. We want people to arrive at this weekend’s festival as smoothly as possible and are encouraging you to give some thought to how you intend to get there. Please give yourself plenty of time to pick up tickets and locate your venue. Here are some key points:

– If you are planning to drive, please avoid Hunter and King streets east of Union Street if at all possible.

Download Festival Map & Venue Information

About Us

The inaugural Newcastle Writers Festival was held in 2013 and was a resounding success. More than 70 writers participated in 38 sessions – half of which were free. In 2014, the festival was enhanced by the addition of a popular children’s program. More than 100 writers participated in the extended festival and more than 6500 people attended the event, from preschoolers to adults. The 2016, 2017 and 2018 festivals were bigger and better still, and we’re looking forward to exceeding expectations with our Seventh event in April 2019.